METRO B Line BRT Draft Corridor Plan
Adam Smith Senior Planner, BRT Projects Metro Transit
March 22, 2021
1 B Line Bus Rapid Transit Overview
• Substantial replacement of Route 21, second-highest ridership route but slowest in-service speed • Route 21 ridership remains strong, even during pandemic • Project fully funded, targeted opening 2024
2 Completed planning work (2019 – 2020)
• Extension to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, evaluated and recommended in response to stakeholder requests • Route B Line along Marshall, Snelling, Selby Avenues • 33 preliminary B Line station locations identified • Preliminary bus service plan
3 Draft B Line Corridor Plan
• Planned station locations: station intersections and location of platforms within each intersection • Corridor Context: - Refined bus service plan: local and limited-stop bus service within and along B Line corridor - Potential bus priority treatments to meet project speed and reliability goals
4 Core element of Corridor Plan: Station and platform locations • Proposed platform locations developed through site-specific review • Excludes locations finalized as part of other projects • Concept designs will continue to evolve through coordination and engineering • Lake & 36th Avenue example (existing and proposed concept):
5 Additional information: Concept bus service plan
• B Line service would run every 10 minutes, seven days a week during the day and most of the evening • Local service on Route 21 would run every 30 minutes between Hennepin Avenue and Minnehaha Avenue • Local service on new route (Route 60) would run every 30 minutes along Selby Avenue connecting to Midway area of St. Paul • Concept service plans will be refined and further developed closer to B Line opening • Route 53 service will be evaluated as the B Line approaches implementation
6 How can the B Line move people faster?
7 Focused outreach efforts
• Media communications: - Metropolitan Council communications: Social, Connect, Insights, Wire, Riders Club, Project Newsletter, Rider Alerts - Local media - Communications from neighborhood and community groups, project partners • At-stop communications: - Flyers near Route 21 stops - Limited in-person surveying
8 Project schedule
• Review feedback on Draft Corridor Plan • Recommended Corridor Plan: May 2021 • Final Corridor Plan: September 2021 • Engineering: Mid-2021 – Late 2022 • Construction: 2023 – 2024
9 Adam Smith, Metro Transit [email protected]
www.metrotransit.org/b-line-project
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